Mulling it over
I ws talking to a man from Madrid yesterday and during the course of the conversation he said with reference to nothing in particular the he was mulling it over. I was taken by surprise because it was not an idiom which I expected to hear from a native Spanish speaker. I received. a second surprise when he told me that he had heard it on “The Derry Girls”. He had watched both series( in English) on Netflix.
It’s an expression that seemed to have dropped out of favour due in part, I feel for the need to be seen decisive, particular amongst leaders at all levels. Generally when asked for a decision individuals rush to say, yes … no …, I don’t know( which means no ), or I’ll think about it ( which also means no)
Mulling it over seems much more purposeful. It gives the sense of weighing up pros and cons, giving active consideration, struggling intellectually and possibly emotionally and perhaps talking it over with others before giving an answer.
Perhaps mulling it b over seems a bit wimpy, indecisive or weak but many decisions can wait and a period of reflection can be worthwhile. I am going to mull that over myself.
